Case Number 10736: Small Claims Court

PHIL COLLINS: FACE VALUE

The Charge

A rare and welcome insight into Collins's prodigious music talent and the
fascinating story of the making of a true Classic Album.

The Case

Another in Eagle Rock's "Classic Albums" DVD series, Phil
Collins -- Face Value provides us an introspective look into Phil Collins's
creative process and latter-day ruminations about his own swirling emotions as
he delivered his first solo album apart from the band, Genesis. The album has
long been lauded as a supreme yet unusual musical journey that is structurally
diverse while maintaining thematic consistency. Its intent has long confounded
listeners eager to unlock the mystery behind the lyrical expositions of an
emerging talent whose energy for his craft is strangely juxtaposed by some
unexplained inner brooding.

Well if you told me you were drowning, I wouldn't lend a hand. I've seen your face before my friend, But I don't know if you know who
I am.

Although he had been promoted to the role of front man for Genesis upon
Peter Gabriel's departure, Phil Collins was clearly unfulfilled in his singing
and songwriting endeavors. Citing his dissatisfaction of having to create by
committee, Collins ventured into this self-helmed effort in 1981. With complete
control over the creative process, Collins relished the possibilities in front
of him. Unfortunately, this came at the same time as his divorce from Andrea
Bertorelli, his wife of five years and mother to his son, Simon Collins. As he
embarked upon recording Face Value, it was clear that his personal
matters were weaving their way into his work. The collection of 12 songs is as
diverse as the swirling emotions the artist was clearly undergoing.
Nevertheless, the result was impeccable and sent the record to the top of the
British charts and placed it consistently high on the U.S. Billboard
tally as well.

Undoubtedly you're familiar with the major hit single, "In the Air
Tonight," in which Collins seems to be singing about some dreadful
occurrence he witnessed at an unstated time in an undisclosed location. This
became the making of some of the most talked-about urban legends, with stories
usually depicting Collins as witness to a drowning he either couldn't prevent or
to which he willfully chose not intercede. According to Collins, it's all
rubbish.

"I wasn't even intending on writing a song, I just was fooling around.
And I got these chords that I liked...so I turned the microphone on...and then I
started singing. And the lyrics you hear were what I wrote spontaneously with
the feeling of that music at that time. And when someone says, 'Now tell me,
Phil, what is it really about?,' I say, 'I don't know. I've no idea 'cause I
just made it up as I went along.'"

But Collins is forthcoming when he identifies the pain and turmoil he was
experiencing during his divorce and how that impacted his creative output. In
this DVD, we catch up with Collins circa 1999 who, seated at his home-studio
mixing board, offers insight into the Face Value album as a whole, in
addition to commenting on each song therein. This makes for a compelling setting
as we watch Collins in the act of genuine recollection and subsequent reaction
while he listens to playback of each track and even goes on to perform some on
camera (and he's clearly affected as he recognizes the emotions at work as he
sings "Please Don't Ask," a number originally omitted from the album).
He goes on to describe how he decided to incorporate the horns section from
Earth, Wind & Fire into a track and also how frustrated he would become with
live audiences when attempting to perform the soft and sensitive "If
Leaving Me Is Easy," ultimately chiding those in attendance to shut up and
listen:

"When I came out on stage here tonight, I said, 'This Dallas audience
wants to listen to the quiet songs.' Am I right?! I hope so..."

Collins is joined by original engineer Hugh Padgham as well as by original
musical contributors Tom Tom Washington (horns arranger), L. Shankar
(violinist), and Alphonso Johnson (bass guitar). Throughout the excursion,
Collins faithful will be treated to previously unseen concert footage as well as
Collins's own home movies on the road and backstage.

As for the DVD, you'll find this one presented in a 1.33:1 full-frame
format, unfortunately bearing the visible stigma of its videotaped sources. The
audio is presented in an unnecessarily confined Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track,
one that should have been expanded to utilize extended channels to deliver a
more immersive experience. It works as is, but you'll likely feel it could have
been done up just a bit better. The only extras are textual biographical notes
and a discography.

If you're a Phil Collins enthusiast, you'll no doubt enjoy this disc. It's a
very personal chat with the multi-talented, multi-platinum performer that seems
to end too soon. Give this one a look, if for nothing else than to hear the man
himself dispel the wild stories surrounding "In the Air Tonight." Of
course, you'll have trouble getting that infectious drum-machine riff out of
your head.